Aerosmith
The name Aerosmith, by the way, means nothing in particular; it simply was the only name that no one in the band hated. During the first decade of its career, Aerosmith was one of the most popular hard-rock bands in America, striking a flamboyant middle ground between the cool, bluesy swagger of the Rolling Stones and the more campy, glam-metal approach of the New York Dolls and Mott the Hoople. Later, after a period of drug- and alcohol-induced decline, they made a triumphant return to form in the late '80s and early '90s, winning back their fans and the heart — and checkbook — of Columbia Records, the label where the story of Aerosmith began. Actually, the band's tale starts a few years before signing to Columbia, when drummer Steven Tyler met guitarist Joe Perry at the Anchorage, a Sunapee, N.H., ice cream parlor where Perry worked in 1970. They formed a power trio with Tom Hamilton on bass, and before long, they'd added drummer Joey Kramer and guitarist Brad Whitford, leaving Tyler to fulfill the role he was born for: lead singer. With 1975's Toys in the Attic, considered by most to be Aerosmith's best album, the group achieved a new level of success, both artistically and commercially. The first single, "Sweet Emotion," was a terrific pop-hard rock crossover that led the album up to No. 11 on the Billboard charts (it eventually sold 6 million copies). As a result of this newfound success, "Dream On" was re-released, becoming a Top 40 hit the second time around. The super-funky "Walk This Way" followed it up the charts early in 1976. Operating with two replacement guitarists, Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay, the band released its least successful album ever, Rock in a Hard Place, in 1982. Meanwhile, Perry's and Whitford's solo projects weren't exactly lighting up the charts. Something had to be done. On Valentine's Day of 1984, Perry and Whitford visited their old bandmates backstage after a show at Boston's Orpheum Theatre. Now reconciled, they reunited for the Back in the Saddle tour, and in 1985, having signed to Geffen Records, they put out Done With Mirrors. Though it didn't sell well, it showed that the band was on the comeback trail. After its release, Tyler and Perry completed a drug-rehabilitation program, and then, in an extremely smart publicity move, they joined old-school rappers Run-DMC in the video for their cover of "Walk This Way." In 1987, with producer Bruce Fairbairn at the helm, they recorded the album that would put them back on top, Permanent Vacation. Aerosmith's best and biggest-selling non-greatest hits album since Rocks featured the hits "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," "Rag Doll," and "Angel," and ultimately sold 5 million copies. Pump, released in 1989, did it one better, selling 6 million, driven by the Top 10 hits "Love in an Elevator" and "Janie's Got a Gun."
Get A Grip (Released 1993)
Chorus:
Got to get a grip
Skin and bones, it ain't such a pity
If you think I'm vein, better shut ya lip
I can't explain how to be fat city
You gotta live large, gotta let it rip
Skin and bones, it ain't such a pity
Don't cha gimme no flack, honey shut ya lip
Ya gotta have stones if you're living in the city
If ya wanna hang loose gotta get a grip rip
Once upon a crime I thought I was cool
but I don't want to brag
Once I crossed the line I think I musta
zigged when I shoulda zagged
Chorus
Same old same old every day
if things don't change you're just gonna rot
Cause if you do what you've always done
you'll always get what you always got
Uh could that be nothin'
Chorus
Skin and bones, it ain't such a pity
Don't cha gimme no flack, honey shut ya lip
Ya gotta have stones if you're living in the city
If ya wanna hang loose gotta get a grip, rip
Who knows for sure yeah without a doubt
What goes on when the lights go out
Or who pulls in when I pull out
And what's a one eyed trouser trout?
I was so short sighted
Now the wrong been righted
I feel so delighted
I get so excited
Skin and bones, it ain't such a pity
If you think I'm vein, better shut ya lip
I can't explain how to be fat city
You gotta live large, gotta let it rip
Skin and bones, it ain't such a pity
Don't cha gimme no flack, honey shut ya lip
Ya gotta have stones if you're living in the city
If ya wanna hang loose gotta get a grip
You wanna get high in a New York minute
Choke that smoke, honey crack the whip
Your head gets dead, yea,
As long as you're in it
You wanna hang loose, gotta get a grip
Skin and bones, it ain't such a pity
Don't cha gimme no flack, honey shut ya lip
Ya gotta have stones if you're living in the city
If ya wanna hang loose gotta get a grip
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